It was August 1880. Adam Cartwright and Dan Walker had moved the Cartwright twins (Mitch and Pam) and their families to their own place which was laid close by the big ranch house at Ponderosa. Together with Polly Mitch had 3 children (the twins Jake and Emma and their 2 months old son Benji). Pam looked after for a 2 months old twins Mary and Iris together with her husband Matthew (who was called by his family members Matt).
Not long after their move into the Little Ponderosa (as they had called it) a cousin of Matthew, Irene Walker, came by. Matthew had never liked her and his parents (Dan and Laura Walker) neither. Irene came by unexpected and showed right away who the boss was.
“I come to visit and there isn’t even made coffee. Wouldn’t you be doing that for once?”, Irene asked Polly.
“I am Polly Cartwright and live here with my family and that of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Wouldn’t you introduce yourself before you start giving orders?”, Polly asked on her turn.
“I am Irene Walker, a cousin of van Matthew”, answered Irene.
“Matt is my brother-in-law but he has never told us anything about you”, Polly said distrusting.
“He feels himself too good to tell something about me”, reviled Irene.
“His parents also have never told us something about you”, said Polly.
“Where is that coffee? Black with 4 spoons of sugar please”, Irene said impatient.
“Cool it madam!”, Polly said fierce.
She went to the kitchen and made coffee. In the cup of her guest Polly didn’t put sugar on purpose but salt and a lot too. ‘That will teach you to impolite’, thought Polly. Each day she learned by how the Cartwrights were and how they dealt with difficult persons.
In the living room Irene changed everything she could move. At least she tried that but Jake and the Labrador Skip came in.
“What is that dog doing here inside?”, snapped Irene.
“Skip lives here too. Who are you?”, asked Jake.
“I am Miss Walker for you, brat”, answered Irene.
The boy reacted at once with, “I am not brat but Jake Cartwright!”
“Cartwright? And I have heard that here the Walker family lives. How is that?”, Irene asked annoyed.
“I am married to Mitch Cartwright and his twin sister Pam married at the same time with us with his best friend Matt Walker. Since August 1 we live her with the children”, Polly explained who had heard the question.
She gave the ‘delicious’ coffee to Irene and gave Jake a wink. Jake and Skip went outside again. Irene and Polly went to sit in the living room.
“So you and Mitch only have Jake?”, Irene asked curious.
“No, Jake has a twin sister Emma too and they have a little brother Benji. Pam and Matt have 2 daughters”, answered Polly.
“I wanted a daughter too but my boyfriend didn’t”, Irene said harmless.
She took a sip of coffee and spit it out at once again.
“What a dirty coffee”, Irene said touchy.
Polly drank up her coffee and remarked, :“Gosh, how weird. My coffee tastes delicious though.”
To keep the peace Irene said, “Now let me see the little ones.”
Now Polly didn’t trust it anymore and she was pleased when Mitch came home at that moment. He kissed his wife loving full and saw then that they had a visit
“Oh Mitch, this is Irene Walker, a cousin of Matt. She is just visiting”, Polly explained.
The young Cartwright didn’t trust the female visitor either.
“I didn’t even know that Matt had a cousin”, said Mitch.
Irene was fed up that she wasn’t allowed to see the baby’s and decided to undertake action. She got a pistol out of her bag and pointed it at Mitch and Polly.
“Keep standing there!”, snapped Irene.
Mitch took off his belt and gave it to his daughter Emma who just came inside.
“Go and get grandpa! Now!”, he whispered to the girl.
Emma grabbed the belt and ran away to get her grandpa. That Adam Cartwright, the father of Mitch.
“You sit down nicely while I go upstairs”, said Irene.
She took a basket along after she had knocked Mitch and Polly unconscious.
Pam was upstairs busy when Irene came up. She also didn’t trust Irene.
“Where is the nursery?”, the female visitor asked suddenly super friendly.
Pam went ahead of her and hoped that help was on its way. Irene saw the twins of her cousin and got very jealous. She didn’t let anything show though opposite Pam.
“What are they cute”, Irene said suave.
“They are that too. But that also goes for our nephew”, answered Pam.
Her nephew Benji laid in a bedstead next to his cousins but Irene had no eye for him. She only looked at the girls. Pam didn’t trust her and remained for that reason in the nursery.
Meanwhile Emma ran to the housed where her grandpa and grandma (Adam and Sally Cartwright) lived. Jake ran with her, followed by Skip. They had the luck that Adam happened to be riding by and stopped his horse Sport.
“Grandpa, a woman is at home and daddy sent me away with this”, Emma said while she showed the belt.
She gave it to Adam. He saw the belt and recognized the sign.
“You go to grandma and stay there until we are back”, said Adam.
The twins and Skip did that while Adam went to the big ranch house.
The presence of Pam began to work on the nerves of Irene. Irene decided to force her to go to the bedroom. The women began to fight but Irene knocked Pam unconscious. She closed the bedroom and went back to the nursery. Without that anyone saw it Irene grabbed iris out of her bedstead Iris got put down in a basket and taken along. Hereafter she grabbed her bag and the young woman left the Little Ponderosa. Iris was still sleeping but because Irene rode hard the baby woke up. She began to cry loud and quite a lot too.
Slowly the Cartwright twins and Polly came by again.
“Mitch, that gal is gone and her bag too”, Polly said dreadful.
Her husband got up at once and ran as fast as he could to the sleeping department. Carefully Pam came out of the bedroom. The 2 ran to the nursery and discovered that Iris was gone. Pam began to sob and Mitch cursed out loud. Polly came upstairs and saw too that Iris was gone.
Mitch took his sister into his arms and said, “Pam, I promise you that Iris come home again.”
He brought her to bed and said to Polly, “Do you look after Pam and the little ones. I get Matt and we are going to look for Iris. I let your parents come.”
“Just go. The sooner our family is totally complete again”, said Polly.
Mitch kissed her and went away. In the stable he saddled up his horse Caramel. With them was the old shepherd dog Cody.
Before Mitch went away he said to the dog, “Look after Benji and the girls. Good luck boy.”
The dog barked as he said, “I do that.”
Mitch mounted on and went to get his brother-in-law Matthew Walker. He found him at the herd.
“Matt, you must come because Iris has been taken by your cousin Irene Walker”, Mitch said coming straight to the point.
“Iris is taken along by Irene? That gal is completely disturbed”, Matthew said upset.
“She knocked us and Pam unconscious and took her along. Jake and Emma are to my parents. Polly looks after Pam and the little ones. Besides the dogs are with them”, answered Mitch who was notable calm.
“Let’s take our pa and uncles along then”, Matthew suggested.
They turned their horses and rode to the big ranch house where the grownup Cartwrights were already up to date by the disappearing of Iris Walker.
Adam and younger brothers Hoss and Joe and Dan Walker (the father of Matthew) were there. The mother of Matthew (Laura) went to the Little Ponderosa.
“Candy, would you like to get my parents-in-law and bring them to our house”, Mitch said to foreman Candy Canaday.
The foreman nodded and left for Virginia City.
Ben Cartwright, the owner of the ranch, said to his grandsons, “Unfortunately I can’t come due to my broken wrist.”
Mitch nodded and said, “Then you can get on with your hobby: the administration.”
His brother-in-law made it even worse by saying,
“It is good that your left wrist is broken because you are right-handed anyway.”
Despite the seriousness everybody laughed. But the next moment the men left.
“When I get that gal into my hands and she has done something to Iris I kill her”, Matthew groaned from the bottom of his heart.
“And otherwise your parents will do it”, said Mitch.
His brother-in-law nodded.
They kept a rest at an open space on the prairie.
Adam asked, “Dan, do you know where Irene lives?”
The mine worker thought for a second and answered then, “In Townville. My brother Sean is sheriff there. The chance is big that she is there.”
Mitch, Matthew and Joe heard that . They jumped on their horses and rode away quickly. The others followed them on the heels.
Meanwhile Cody was with Pam who licked her so that she had to wake up.
“Hello Cody. Mitch did say for sure that you had to look after me, didn’t he?”, asked Pam.
The shepherd dog barked. He went to lie down in front of the bed for company and protection. Both fell asleep again.
Laura asked Polly, “How is it with Pam?”
“Still a bit upset but Cody is with her. He feels faultless when Pam and Mitch are having something”, answered Polly.
Laura went upstairs and looked at Mary and Benji who slept.
A bit later on Jack and Cathy Miller (the parents of Polly) came at the house of their daughter and son-in-law. They had heard from Candy what had happened and were there now for the young family.
Irene stopped the wagon in front of her parental house.
“We are home”, she said to the baby who slept.
She got out and got the basket and her bag. Here after Irene walked full of pride to the house. Without knocking the young woman went inside and she saw her mother Pauline.
“Are you here once again?”, asked Pauline.
“Yes mother. I’m here again but now for good and with your granddaughter Conny. It was a big mistake to with Miles. When I had do give birth, now 1 month ago, he left me. I had to have the baby all alone”, answered Irene.
She put the basket down and grabbed the baby.
“Mother, meet your granddaughter Conny. Conny, this is your grandmother”, said Irene.
Pauline grabbed the baby and said, “It’s a sweetheart but she doesn’t look like you at all. She looks like your cousin Matt though.”
“She is my baby! And she needs rest and so do I”, Irene said snappy.
She took over Iris and put her back into the basket. The basket got put in the living room. Irene went to her room.
What Irene didn’t know yet was that her father Sean Walker was sheriff in Townville where she now was.
“Are you Mr Sean Walker, the father of Irene Walker?”, a visitor asked in the office of the sheriff.
“Yes, that’s me. What can I do for you?”, asked Sean.
“I am Miles Johnson, the ex of Irene. I’m sorry that I took her along but she forced me. Irene wanted to have a child and when I refused she left me to go to Virginia City”, said the visitor.
“My brother and sister-in-law live close by Virginia City with their son and daughter-in-law and their twins. You don’t think that Irene will kidnap the twins, do you?”, asked Sean.
Miles nodded though. Sean knew enough.
The Cartwrights and Walkers arrived at the home of Sean and Pauline. Matthew didn’t even took the trouble to hitch his horse but slipped out of the saddle and went inside.
“Aunt Pauline, has Irene come here with a 2 month old baby?”, asked the young Walker.
“Yes. She says that it’s her child but I saw right away that the baby looks a lot like you”, answered Pauline.
“She is my 2nd daughter because Pam and I got twin on June 9. Mary is her twin sister”, said Matthew.
The others came in and got to know each other. Adam, Dan and Matthew went upstairs where Irene was.
Matthew opened the room door and asked, “Irene, where is Iris?”
“Matthew, How nice to see you again. Who is Iris?”, Irene asked Irene chuckling as a teenage girl.
“You surely know who Iris is. My daughter”, Matthew said fierce.
Irene realized that her game was over and walked to the window. She opened the window and jumped outside. Her scream went to the core.
In the living room Hoss, Joe and Mitch discovered Iris sleeping. Pauline was with them.
“Uncle Joe, tell Matt that Iris is here”, said Mitch.
Joe ran upstairs and said to his related by marriage nephew, “Matt, Iris is downstairs.”
Matthew flew downstairs where Mitch had Iris in his arms.
“Look Iris, there is daddy”, Mitch said to his niece.
Matthew took Iris over and kissed her of happiness.
“Matt, she is alright ”, said Pauline.
“Fortunately. Otherwise I had done something to Irene”, answered Matthew.
“What was that scream?”, Hoss asked then.
“Irene who jumped out of the window”, Matthew answered dry.
Mitch and Matthew remained by Iris while the others went to look how it was with Irene. She did jump out of the window but remained stuck by some stuck out nails at the roof of the porch. To big annoying of Irene everyone began to laugh loud. Sean heard from his brother what had happened.
“Get me off here!”, she snapped.
Sean came nearer and got his daughter off it.
“Irene Walker, I arrest you for committing violence and kidnapping of a baby”, he said.
Irene went along voluntarily while the others went inside.
“Matt, we won’t be bothered by her for the time being. Shall we go home?”, asked Dan.
His son nodded.
Pauline asked, “I have heard so much already about your little ones that I want to see them. Do you mind if I come along?”
“Not at all. Then you can get to know the rest of the family of Iris. You will quite like that”, answered Matthew.
He said on a tone as in, ‘You don’t know what it waiting for you.’
“I will say it to your uncle”, said Pauline.
She went to the office of the sheriff.
Sean questioned his daughter about what she had done.
“Matthew has 2 daughters so he can easily miss 1. Besides he and his wife are young enough to have more children. I am nearly 26”, answered Irene.
“You are still young yourself so that’s no reason for kidnapping. Your mother was 32 when you were born”, said Sean.
Irene didn’t say anything anymore and got locked up. Then Pauline came in and told Sean about her upcoming staying. Irene heard that and became green of jealousy. But she couldn’t undertake any action.
At the ranch Sally received loving full her grandchildren. As usual Jake and Emma went to play with their 2 year older aunt Rosen. Skip just played along with their games. Sally understood that something serious had happened at the twins’ home because otherwise 1 of their parents was with them. She didn’t ask about it thought.
By supper time Emma said, “Grandpa said that we had to stay here.”
“Then we make a stay party of it. You don’t like pancakes, do you?”, Sally asked teasing.
The children (the twins and the sisters Lisa and Rose) shook of no. Sally first wrote a note for Polly that the twins slept at her place on Adam’s order. Skip brought the note to his house and returned after that quickly to Sally and the children.
In the meantime the Cartwrights and Walkers were with Iris on their way home. Pauline travelled on the wagon, together with her nephew who didn’t lose his daughter out of sight for a second.
“Are Mary and Iris the only children at your house?”, Pauline asked at a certain moment.
“No, Pam and I live together with Mitch and Polly, his wife. They have a 2 year old twins and a son called Benji. Further live with us the dogs Cody and Skip and a cat named Lucky”, answered Matthew.
“A really full house then”, said Pauline.
“But very cozy indeed”, said Matthew.
Polly and Pam were still up when their husbands came home with Iris. Cody barked whereby they knew that there coming visitors.
Matthew came in with Iris and asked his wife, “Pam, look who is here again?”
Pam began to cry of happiness when she had Iris in her arms again.
“She is alright. Ladies, may I introduce you to my aunt Pauline? She had heard so much about our little ones that she wanted to see them”, said Matthew.
There was an introduction and Pauline also got to know Cody and Lucky.
The others went to their own home to tell the stay at homers everything.
By this event the grownup Cartwrights kept a closer eye on the little ones more than before.